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Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $67.50
The 2019 Gracias Madre, 100% Grenache Noir, is fabulous. Rich, creamy and super-expressive, the 2019 offers notable...
12 FREE
VM
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $42.34 $46.40
Another gorgeous Pinot from ABC. Beautiful aromas of spice, rose petals, cherry/berry fruit are amplified on the...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $30.94
12 bottles: $30.32
Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the translucent ruby-hued 2019 Pinot Noir La Bauge Au-dessus offers good complexity in its...
JD
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $36.07 $40.08
12 bottles: $29.64
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.94
The 2019 Grenache opens with effusive aromas of strawberry, sandalwood, floral spice and earthiness. A sleek, soft...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $20.10
12 bottles: $19.70
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $21.60
12 bottles: $20.52
This bright, deep red has a varietal aroma of rose petal and ripe strawberries joined by flavors of Maraschino...
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $51.94
Enticing aromas of buttercream, cake batter and macadamia nut are clean and light on the nose of this bottling. The...
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WE
94
VM
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $51.89
12 bottles: $50.85
Medium ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Estate offers impressive aromatic layering and detail, evolving as it spends time in...
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WA
95
WE
95
White
750ml
Bottle: $27.95
12 bottles: $27.39
This Chardonnay showcases the brilliance of Eden Rift’s mountain estate. It is bright with notes of exotic citrus,...
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Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $15.41
Aromas of tropical fruit, citrus and red apple with delicious notes of butterscotch and honey highlight this rich yet...
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Red
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $184.90
12 bottles: $181.20
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $40.88
Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Syrah Sta. Rita Hills explodes with blackcurrant, blueberry, mint chocolate, violet and...
12 FREE
WA
95
Sale
Red
375ml
Bottle: $22.25 $23.64
12 bottles: $21.80
Another great value out there for readers who love impeccably made, elegant Pinot Noir is the 2019 Pinot Noir Sta....
JD
91
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $56.79
Another gem, the 2019 Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches Au Bouge comes from a mix of Bien Nacido and Le Bon Climat vineyards...
WE
95
JD
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $73.60
The 2019 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Santa Barbara Historic Vineyards Collection is a soft, open knit wine...
VM
93
WE
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $102.24
The late Jim Clendenen named this wine after his daughter, now a leader in her family winery, and he always made sure...
WE
95
JD
94
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $81.32
Another gorgeous Pinot from ABC. Beautiful aromas of spice, rose petals, cherry/berry fruit are amplified on the...
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $73.06
Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the translucent ruby-hued 2019 Pinot Noir La Bauge Au-dessus offers good complexity in its...
JD
89

2019 United States California Central Coast Santa Barbara Wine

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.

The long and narrow Central Coast wine region of California stretches for approximately two hundred and fifty miles down the Pacific coastline, and holds hundreds of important Californian wineries who grow a wide array of imported grape varietals. As with the rest of California, the Central Coast region benefits enormously from the hot and sunny climate, which allows the grapes grown there to reach full ripeness and express plenty of big, juicy flavors and rich aromas. Dozens of grapes varietals are grown successfully on the Central Coast, however, classic French varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The region is renowned for its modern and experimental approach to viticulture, and with over 90,000 acres under vine, this is a veritable powerhouse of wine production in one of the most important New World regions on earth.

Santa Barbara is home to many of California's most sought after wines, with a powerful reputation for superbly crafted, old world style big, flavorful and complex red wines. The white wine industry in the region is growing, too, with many wineries within Santa Barbara successfully experimenting with several classic white wine grape varietals. As in much of California, Santa Barbara benefits from the blazing west coast sunshine, coupled with cooling Pacific Ocean breezes and fogs, which help to temper the grapes and slow the ripening process, thus ensuring more flavor and aroma in the resulting wines. Although Santa Barbara is a relatively young wine region, it is home to many wineries who are extremely dedicated when it comes to demonstrating just how good their terroir is, and how characterful their region's wines can be.